The Tropical Fruit Forum

Mangoes melons and muscadines
Well burnt out on talking about mangoes but I had to put that in there so we don't get booted off The Tropical thread.
Having great success with Athens and lemonade cantaloupes. Have great anticipation for lemonade which it's description sounds like it's the sweet tart mango of the melon world. After i expanded my gravity flow vertical melon production this season. I'm having a great success with the canary honeydew melon and had great success last season with the snow leopard which my wife really liked. Start off by saying that Tomcat got rid of my long tail nibbling friend so things are copacetic now. I feel like the vines that are in the 25 gallon Nursery pots are thriving better than the ones in the growth bags so we'll convert those to Nursery pots next season. The reason for this thread is melon recommendations I'm not a watermelon fan but anything in the netted honeydew family or similar suggestions would be much appreciated. Since I've had abd seem to be having success. I've already planned to expand next season. So it seems as though I found ways to manage my two nemesis the pickle worm and the roof rat. Muscadines and muscadine hybrids are off to a good start. All I can say is grow grow grow🙂

Spring is almost here and in late April budwood should be available. Everything it's going well in the garden So my mind is shifting to grafting. As i Drink my morning coffee getting ready for rock and roll at work. I am thinking about what I want to graft on to what tree.

I had 2 takes off honey kiss.
Last season on little Gem. I would like to get a third take. On the super julie sweet tart project from two seasons ago, which has been highly successful. I think after reviewing A recent thread I will graft p-22 On to it also. Hopefully it's vigor is not a mismatch. Since ceci love get so much love. I will graft it on two what i'm not sure yet because of it's vigor. I had 2 successful takes of sunrise last season will go for a Third on p p k.

This list is Just as much for me As it is to share with you.

Honeykiss
P-22
Cecilove
Sunrise
Son pari
Venus.

The recent Collins Paw Paw i got from Just fruits and exotics is flowering. It must of got plenty of chill hours up North.🙂

I've heard this many times of when temperatures are below a certain level for a certain duration of time. A mango tree will produce a high ratio of male flowers. Being in Central Florida I'm starting to believe it's more variety specific.
Yes the last few years have been mild But in the past I've had trees that produced well even with a couple of weeks of the high thirties. What say you! What's been your experience?

My Wife would say that i'm completely crackers 🙂

Coconut cream

Have Pawpaw on my Reddit and my meta AI advertising from that. The University of Kentucky recommends Collins variety for Florida Growers. With the hardiness Zone Changing biannually I think I'm back in Zone 9b. It's a long shot but one thing I have is plenty of shade from all these mango trees. I ordered from two different nurseries one a Seedling ofCollins and the other a grafted tree of Collins. Hopefully seedling will be a pollinator but since I'm in a gardening frame of mind will probably go to Stark Brothers and Order different varieties. Maybe even ask for their recommendation.

Update problem solved just noticed that they have Gainesville #1 at Just fruit and Exotics up by Perry Florida

Most of our mangoes bloomed several weeks ago that have been in kind of a dormant State and haven't opened yet. We've had several weeks with the night time temperatures getting down in the 40s with a couple of nights the high mid 30s. I've always heard that common answer that it effects the male female ratio. What is the basis for this thinking. Is it hormonal? Has anyone really immersed in the subject. Are some varieties more affected by this. VP antidotically produces like a Rockstar consistently season to season in Central Florida





Jonah preparing to do battle with the pickle worm this season. Going to grow the full size cantaloupes this season.🙂

Since there is a major Arctic blast up north and even though I shall be spared. I'm still taking inventory of what I have so I can build on it. So for freezes with significant wind my Arsenal is lagging. I have two on the tank propane heaters and zero trunk wrap. So I just ordered a outdoor electric forced air heater 15 amps and some trunk wrap. So worst case scenario I would want to put four heaters under my most valued trees and trunk wrap all the rest. I don't want to get into stockpiling Mulch and sand so I was thinking how I could enhance my trunk wrap. I was thinking of adding heat tape on top of the trunk wrap to at least save a couple of feet above the graft Union. So my question is would it just cook the trunk of the tree.









Exhibit A

Wonder how many of these I can run on 20 amp breaker

https://www.phillyorchards.org/2024/05/15/plants-of-the-pop-learning-orchard-paw-paw-cultivars/

https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/crop-production/pawpaw-production-guide/

Reflecting on last season the mango tree that is etched in my memory is PPK. I appreciate it's low maintenance no spraying early season which it gets better later in the season. When it's at Peak flavor it's awesomeanous is off the chart. So if I had to start over PPK would be the first tree I would plant followed by Buxton spice and Carrie.

As left the house to go to work. for i heard aHoot Owl. I wish him happy Hunting no limit on squirrels.


Part of my retirement plan to get reprieve from this hot humid Florida Summers I've got 40 of them under my belt

Since you fellas made me aware that there are many varieties of Paw paw. And I have access to these wild paw paws. Which some are tall and lanky. If I topped or pruned one of them about 5 ft. Could I graft onto new growth multiple varieties like you would a mango tree. I could potentially Buy multiple varieties and plant them then harvest the bud wood to make a cocktail tree. Has anyone done this what are your thoughts.

Potential cocktail trees

Up here in Central Illinois taking a hiatus from Central Florida's blazing heat and humidity walking a fence line cutting trees when I was about to cut a branch and thought I saw a mango. Been working from sunrise till way after Dark baling hay so I may be delusional







Found one that had a soft side to it had a hole in it but these things are really good even if I have to share it with the bugs I guess that puts a little more protein in it

I declare whatever this is is better than the bolt mango LOL not as good as the Dirty Sanchez LOL

I think overall i fared very well. Cuz of the ideas Learned from this forum props out to the Cali crew🙂 Also a lot of thought on my part. As someone pointed out on this forum that squirrels are territorial and when one population is eliminated another group of Bad actors show up on the scene. Each groups preferences also change. Each spring Great Northern owls hunt in my neighborhood. The first they go after are the Mockingbirds I know this feathers on the roof and on the ground then the squirrels are next .Owls are very efficient. So when I say preferences change. Three seasons ago the group preference was ripe guava very little interest in mangoes. Two seasons ago the group preference was green guavas wiped out my entire crop in 2 days. As I observe their behavior of the different members  in the clan. I assign names to them along with a description of their physical characteristics So that my family can give me reports on who was spotted doing what. So this year's cast of actors was Wiley who had a mangy tail Riley and Willie. These three bad Johns were connoisseurs of mango had no interest in guava. I was able to distract them for a period of time with three 5 gallon buckets of acorns that I collected in the spring and poured around the bottom of the oak trees across the street at Peak Harvest.
Crop loss report on protected trees. I lost only one orange sherbet drop to a rabbit.
To Malika's cuz I had a nursery pot too close to the tree which gave them a elevated launch pad to grab a low hanger. The last zero Buxton spice  and Dot.On unprotected tree I lost about a dozen apks and equal number of ice cream. So next season will give them a little more protection. I have this large Valencia Pride that produces so many mangoes that is the sacrificial tree. I don't really eat many of those I do ship some. So my analysis thought process is if you can make things a little difficult for them and provide alternative food sources they usually tend to go for the easy meal. I'm hiding from the Sun the reason I'm writing such a long thread. Sun extracted a lot out of me yesterday the thing that keeps us alive it's also killing us LOL☀️



This is Wiley gorging on acorns

I have been working with a crew lately that talk about RC cars boats and drones. So they got me thinking of spraying small quantities of sulfur at the top of the trees  on the bloom might be  realistic possibility anyone doing this? I'm trying to avoid ladders as much as possible

 Cotton candy Zinc Buxton Spice M4 Juliet  Orange sherbet also Malika and Valencia Pride Little Gem









Just pick my last coconut cream still have one Dwarf Hawaiian hanging



 And this White Pirie

Next season should be even more spectacular with Super Julie Carrie
And yes I'm already thinking about La Nina and a wobbly polar vortex